In a 10-game winning streak to end the regular season, followed by a dominant effort in their A.F.C. wild-card game against the Houston Texans, the Chiefs stuck to a plan of creating opportunities for their secondary by pressuring the quarterback. Their 47 sacks, which ranked fourth in the N.F.L., helped lead to 22 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries.

“Any time you can get to the quarterback and put pressure on him, or make him uncomfortable in the pocket, you can create turnovers,” linebacker Justin Houston told reporters this week. “Every week, that’s our plan, that’s our goal: Dominate every snap.”

The strategy helped Marcus Peters, a rookie cornerback, lead the N.F.L. with eight interceptions, two of them for touchdowns. Peters was the most targeted player in the league at his position thanks to the pressure created by the front seven, the intimidating presence of Sean Smith across the field and the fact that opponents found him easy to beat earlier in the season. But as the season went on, Peters evolved into an exceptional defensive back, and opponents paid the price for not noticing.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, they are facing Tom Brady, a quarterback who is used to pressure and is unlikely to underestimate a player like Peters. Brady, playing behind a patchwork offensive line that used 18 different players in combinations this season, was sacked 38 times but intercepted on only 1.1 percent of his pass attempts, best in the N.F.L. There is no doubt that a defense as talented as Kansas City’s will pressure him, but there is no guarantee that it will force the kind of offensive mistakes that have become routine.

The Patriots’ defense will create similar pressure, especially with defensive end Chandler Jones expected to play, but Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith is capable of creating opportunities out of screen passes and handoffs, and by scrambling, and he rarely turns the ball over.

The game is likely to be decided by the health of New England’s top receivers, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski, who are listed as questionable. They are expected to play, but if they are limited or forced to leave the game, Kansas City can pull off an upset. If they are reasonably healthy, the Patriots should advance.